


Downtown Syndrome

by Assassination_of_the_King



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Humor, Bonding, F/M, Kidnapping, Light Bondage, M/M, Road Trip, Stockholm Syndrome, horrible attempts at humor, possible false assumptions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-01
Updated: 2014-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-03 23:32:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/703900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Assassination_of_the_King/pseuds/Assassination_of_the_King
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All it took was a break-in and a question of where a 'Benie's Bar' was.</p>
<p>(Summary's terrible, I know. I promise it's better than it possibly sounds. Please give it a chance.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually the second version of the collab. So...this was started sometime near the end of 2011.
> 
> *doesn't know what else to say* Um...enjoy?  
> -A

The full moon loomed over the quaint neighborhood, shining its bright light on the streets. Dogs were barking at the sirens in the distance, jumping up and down out in their owner's backyard.

The man creeping through a few bushes this night hated the sound of sirens. They always put him on edge and as far as he could tell, they always would.

Renji Abarai looked over his shoulder at the flashing lights that passed some streets off. He kept moving, making sure that he didn't get caught because he was standing there too long and was spotted by some good-for-nothing woman looking out her window. Luckily, they ignored him.

He crouched down behind a large tree, taking a break. Renji quickly wiped away the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. He'd been running quite a distance from the state-penitentiary. His chocolate brown eyes shot around him, looking right, left, and up, where he saw a slightly open window.

After a quick glance around at his surroundings, he popped his blue collared shirt (as if it would make him less visible) and fixed his dark blue bandanna atop his head. He stolen them from a store he'd run into. They wouldn't have a clue.

Thanking God for his luck, he then shimmied up the water pipe and onto the roof. He took another look around and seeing nothing, he snuck to the open window and pulled it up before peeking in.

It was a small room, but it was covered in clothes and papers. A college student, from the looks of it. Quietly and making as little noise as possible, Renji snuck in, closing the window behind him.

_This place looks ten times more dirty than my old room. And it's filthy..._

The vivid crimson haired criminal stepped further in, examining the room he'd invaded and halted when he caught an equally bright orange head of hair with his scanning gaze. His eyes ran over the figure, sleeping soundly in the bed with the covers trapping his legs.

_If he wakes up...well, I gotta make sure he stays quiet._

He'd found that carrying a gun was always a wise thing to do, it helped to...well, the best way to explain it was just, 'Keeping people quiet.' Just like now.

Renji pulled the gun from out of his black jeans and held it at the ready, finger on the trigger. He reached a hand out and slowly covered the kid's mouth.

Ah, so soundly he had been resting. Just minding his own business after spending hours upon working on a project to present tomorrow for his Criminal Justice class. Something along the lines of how to keep them from getting into your house or something.

Either way, when the brush of skin against his mouth triggered his senses into high gear and bells ringing ' _Wake up!_ ' the orange head did just that. Brown spheres snapped open, his right hand moving to grab onto the wrist to the hand covering his mouth, left then going to grip the forearm and twisted his own to get it off and away from him.

"What the -" Glancing over to the other person who was in the room, someone who shouldn't even be in the house, the student's eyes widened and stared with a dumbfounded expression. "Who the hell are you?!" Okay, that definitely woke him up.

When Renji's hand had been removed from the other's mouth, he allowed it to happen, moving back and making his gun shine in the light from the window. "I'm the guy invadin' yer house, what's it look like? Get up." He motioned for him to stand up with his hand, his fiendish smile glimmer in that same moonlight.

_...shit._ Letting his gaze fall down to the gun within the other's possession, Ichigo pressed a hand to the mattress and felt his stomach turn into a knot. _Someone tell me I'm just having a nightmare._ Pushing himself to stand, he kept his distance from the other, watching his movements carefully.

"Okay...so what do you want?"

"Ya to keep quiet and talk when I ask ya a question." he replied, checking the boy's appearance out, and finding that he had no weapons or anything close to that on him. "And ya want to stay quiet if ya know what good fer ya."

Renji glanced around him and found some potential ways to keep him from doing anything when his back was turned.

"Are there other people in this house?"

Glancing to the side with a pondering look, the orange head felt rather pleased that there wasn't anyone here at this point in time, especially his twin brother. _I'm glad I moved out early now..._

"Besides us, no." was the simple response while rubbing the back of his neck with furrowed brows.

"Good. Ya have a car?" He kept his gaze on the kid, making sure that he didn't do anything stupid.

"No."

_An inconvenience, but I can break into the car next door. I saw that van on my way over here._

"Alright, turn round and put yer hands up." He grabbed a bathrobe tie and walked forward, gun still in hand.

_...I think it's just me...but that sounds kind of wrong._ Slowly he turned and held his arms up with an awkward expression on his face, eyes to the side and furrowing his brows. _This...this is awkward._ That and he had a gun pointed at him.

What could go wrong with that kind of situation, huh?

The answer was 'lots.' Lots could go wrong.

Renji put the gun back into his pants and moved forward, he took both of the kid's hands and pulled them down behind his back, tying them with knots that he'd learned from a guy in prison. They were guaranteed to be secure. Almost so much that he'd have to cut the fabric with a knife to even free the kid.

After the other finished tying him up Ichigo flexed his fingers with a raised brow, mentally trying to figure out if it would eventually be possible to untie himself. Eventually the answer became 'Not a chance in Hell.' _I guess anyone would want to be sure their hostage can't get away...run screaming down the street flailing about._ Now that was just a novice move if that happened.

He pulled out his gun when he finished and grabbed his captive's shoulder, moving him around to face the door.

At being turned he let out a, "Whoa..." at the force, turning on his heel and facing the door with a confused look.

"Take me downstairs." Renji prod the barrel of the gun in the small of his back.

Sighing for once throughout this whole ordeal, Ichigo moved forth for two obvious reasons. One: he was told to lead this man downstairs, two: the prodding was just uncomfortable. So, onward he went, nudging the cracked open door open with his socked foot and down the stairs.

At least there was some light peeking in through the windows to lead the way.

With the orange haired boy leading him, it wasn't too difficult to get a good look at the top floor. There was two other doors on the other side, which he assumed was either a closet (or extra bedroom) and a bathroom.

They walked down the stairs, ending up in the dark kitchen.

Renji made a quick decision to steer his captive into the living room just adjacent to the kitchen. "Sit." His order seemed loud, even to himself. It was much too quiet.

If sirens put him on edge, silence did even more so.

Not even bothering to argue the college student plopped his bottom down on a recliner and let his scowl become clear on his face, his back pressed against his arms which were then dug into the back of the seat. But at this point in time he had more things to worry about.

Say a certain person who broke into his home, had him at gunpoint - which was still very uncomfortable, tied him up and now here he was. Sitting on a chair expecting the worst.

_Okay, I can officially say I'm not dreaming. 'cause when things go terribly wrong in dreams you wake up. All the time, right? Right..._ Leaning back a bit, he shifted to place his heels on the ground. _So if I'm not dreaming and this is real then if I piss this guy off he'll shoot me...and I'm dead..._

Those thoughts tread down a dark path that disturbed him and it was obvious he wasn't liking it one bit.

_I won't be alive for Karin and Yuzu's graduation, or...or growing old with my girl! Having children - wait..._ He paused for a moment. _...these are very depressing thoughts..._

Renji made sure that his captive was in the seat before taking a look around. A small house, to be sure, probably the best that the kid could afford. He bit his lip as he saw nothing worth his time in the living room and hadn't seen much in the kitchen.

The redhead walked to the front door and looked outside the window. _There're no police cars and it seems like no one's seen me. It's been a good fifteen minutes, so I guess I'll just keep a look out..._

"Ya a college brat?" He covered the window again and turned around. "Yer lucky. I never had a chance."

"...'college brat'?" Raising a brow at this, the student then looked towards the window with a thoughtful look. "...I dunno if I'd say that. But if you wanna call me that then I guess I can't say much." He then shrugged, as best he could in his position then turned his attention to the other. "Why not?"

"Eh...I was orphaned young." He walked back over to where his captive sat and smiled. "What's yer name?"

_That sucks..._ crossed his mind and felt his brows slant, showing exactly how he felt about that then blinked once he noticed how close the other was and his smile. Leaning back and away on instinct before letting out a soft breath.

"Ichigo." he replied, "And yours?"

He thought the reply over and figured that it was an interesting name. "Renji."

"I would say, 'It's nice to meet you,' but..." Shifting his arms to become somewhat comfortable, he pushed himself back on his foot somewhat, shoulders pressed into the chair then sat back down originally after stretching. "...this isn't a normal situation so I can't say it wholeheartedly."

Renji grinned, nodding his head and walking past him to look in the kitchen. It seemed that Ichigo had told him the truth about them being the only ones in the house, but you can't trust someone just because you've got them at gun point. He'd have to check for the car.

_Hmm...I swear I've heard that name somewhere...nah, maybe I'm imagining it..._

"Not somethin' ya say to someone who's got a gun, eh? Don't worry, kid. I don't plan ta hurt ya unless ya do somethin' stupid."

"Mind if I ask you something?" he prodded then crossed his ankles, legs stretched out. "And me asking if I can doesn't count..."

Renji wasn't really listening, checking the drawers around the living room as he went along. "Sure."

"Those sirens..." Brown spheres watched the other's progress about the house. "...are you an escaped convict or something?"

"Mmm...for the sake of this conversation, yeah." He looked up and at the boy. "Ya have a dufflebag or somethin'?"

The answer had Ichigo loll his head back and rest it against the back of the seat with a look that could only be described as 'Fuck my life...' whereas his eyes were shut and trying to recall if he had one stashed away somewhere or not. "Uh...I think it's in the closet at the end of the hall..."

Logging that away for later use, Renji pointedly walked over and bent down, pressing their foreheads together. He placed his hand on the head of orange hair and pat it gently, then smiled. "Yer the first kid I've met that hasn't been givin' me shit. I like ya, Ichigo. Keep it up an' ya might get outta hear with just a bit a burn around yer wrists." Renji pulled away walking into the kitchen.

The gesture that was just done had him blink, looking rather lost and taken off guard before lifting a brow at the 'burn around yer wrists' part and cast a glance over his shoulder once he was sure the redhead wouldn't notice. _Friction of skin against fabric...guess that's what he means._

He considered that all he'd had to eat in the last week was the slop from the prison and a chocolate bar he'd taken from a stand on his run. It wasn't as if he was a thief. When he was finished with his business, he'd probably go back and pay for it. "Oi, what ya got ta eat? Anythin' like beans?"

"...there's ramen, cereal, soup, crackers...basic things. Oh, yeah, and beans if you really want that." Twisting himself, he looked over to where the other male was. "And fridge stuff too."

Ichigo ran off the list and Renji found himself interested in all the things he mentioned. He licked his lips as he rummaged through the cabinet and then through the fridge.

He found himself wondering what to eat first, one of those, "It's a banquet, so I wanna eat everything, but what do I eat first," moments. Renji decided to take a glass of milk, bag of chips, beans from a can (which he opened and was going to eat cold), and some crackers into the living room and sat across from where Ichigo sat, putting everything down and popping open the bag.

Renji acted just like a hungry dog, eating with his mouth open and letting the food fall from his mouth. He hadn't even given a thought to what his captive might think. Hunger over-rode that.

_Gross..._ was all Ichigo could think of in this situation, scrunching his nose up at the sight of saliva covered food falling onto the floor, the man's lap, wherever it felt like falling. _...really gross..._

"Hey...uh...there is such a thing called 'paper towel'..." he started and looked to the side with furrowed brows. "...chew with your mouth closed, the food ain't gonna run away."

_Though if I were the food I'd want to...he's like a ravenous animal..._

The convict blinked at the remark and looked down at the mess he was creating. "Ah...right." He felt his initial need to eat satisfied and leaned back, beginning to eat again until full. This time, he was a little more polite. "I haven't eaten real food in a while..." Renji held back a belch.

The last part of Renji's little response had Ichigo look back at him with a somewhat surprised look. "They give you shit to eat? Like...just mashed potatoes or something?" He looked a little irked at the thought and furrowed his brows, thinking over the lessons he learned in class.

Renji's smile was one of disgust. "I wish we had potatoes." He tried to think of how to describe it best. "Ya know what pigs eat? That stuff where they have like bits of corn and crap that the farmers won't eat? It's like that."

_...wow, outside people are stupid when it comes to describing prison and saying 'They're taken care of' and stuff..._

"...that sucks..." was all he could get out from the thought of how bad it would be locked up and eating just bland as hell food.

He leaned back, brushing the bits of food residue from his shirt and sighing thoughtfully. "Ah, I meant to ask." Renji pulled himself up again, but staying comfortable. "Do ya know where a place called 'Benie's Bar' is? I dunno if it's around here."

"'Benie's Bar'..." Cocking his head to the side, Ichigo gnawed on his lower lip. "...uh...no. I don't think there is. I've heard of it, but haven't seen one around this area..."

"Damn..." Renji rubbed his forehead and then ran his fingers along his long red strands and began to reattach his hair-tie. If he let his hair free it could get in the way, but he wasn't willing to cut it. Not for all the money in the world. "I was hopin' it'd be nearby..." He trailed off, thinking seriously about his next move.

Blinking at the other man's seemingly distressed actions, the spiky haired student then felt like a lightbulb went off above his head at the 'nearby'. _Oh..._

_I can't waste time looking for it. What do I do?_ He bit the inside of his cheek and stood, gathering up the food and walking absentmindedly into the kitchen.

"Mind telling me why you need to get there?"

Renji stopped, blinking at the question and then had his eyes widen at what he'd done.

_Shit. Now the kid knows where I'm headed. And there's only one in the whole fuckin' state._ Luckily, his back was turned to his captive and he was able to hide his actions.

"I have a debt to repay." He said it in a low growl, but hadn't meant for it to come out that way. "Ya have a map round here?"

_That was...rather hostile..._ Turning his attention away, Ichigo felt his stomach drop at the thought of what the other would do in retaliation if he were to say the wrong thing by accident. _Then it's goodbye world, hello...something. Afterlife?_

"Should be in the same closet as the duffle bag, if not it's on a drawer in the kitchen."

The convict nodded to himself, walking back into the living room. "I'll do it later." He didn't feel comfortable leaving Ichigo sitting there as he went around the house looking for things. He'd only feel better if he tied him up more, but there wasn't much to work with in the house. "Oi, ya can go back to sleep. If I was gonna do anythin' to ya, I'd have done it already."

Although that should have sounded reassuring it didn't, not really. "...right..." Not reassuring at all. Lifting his rump a bit he struggled about to move and get his bound wrists under his bum and wiggled about some more before finally having his arms in front of himself to rub his face.

_Okay, well...from what's gone on so far I don't think he's a rapist so...I think I'll be fine..._ Lowering his hands, Ichigo leaned back and let his eyes slide shut with a soft breath. _Yeah, I'll be fine...right?_ Slowly he let his eyes slide shut. _...I'll be fine..._

Renji watched him silently fall asleep, feeling rather sorry for the kid. He could pity the kid for ending up with the short end of the stick and ending up with his company. A few hours passed, the redhead just leaning against the wall with his arms folded in front of him, thoughts running through his head as he devised a new plan to get to his destination. All the while, he never noticed that he'd been staring at the bound boy.

_Well, enough planning. Time to gather supplies._ He rubbed his neck thoughtfully as he turned his eyes from the orange-haired boy. _The kid's been able to live a normal life up 'til I burst through his house. I'm...jealous._


	2. Chapter two

He dropped the 'borrowed' duffle bag and let it fall to the floor as he searched inside, wondering if he'd missed anything. A few necessities had made it inside, like a few rolls of duct tape, clothes, and food. Renji sifted through the bag and smiled, thinking that he might actually get a break.

Renji's gaze moved to the boy sleeping peacefully in the chair, still tied up with the robe tie.

After much inward fighting, he'd decided to take the kid along, as a hostage. He tried to reason this by saying that Ichigo might call the police and say he'd taken his neighbor's car - whom he figured out were conveniently on vacation, which he could have easily remedied by tying the boy up with the duct tape or clothesline he found and shove him down in the basement to be found in a few days, but if he was actually being truthful, he liked the kid's company.

Ichigo had been an enjoyable hostage just inside his home, accommodating him with whatever he needed, obviously, at gun point, but still. He was smart and could be an asset later on.

"'ey, kid. Wake up." He unwillingly shook Ichigo awake, feeling bad because he'd already interrupted the college student's sleep earlier that morning. "We're leavin'."

"Mnn...?" The law student's head lolled to the side, slowly opening his eyes and turning his head to look up at the redhead. "...what? 'leaving'?" Raising his hand, his other following along with it, rubbing his eye only to blink once his other hand bumped into his nose. Which then had the situation slam a 'realization-brick' into his face and blinked a couple more times.

Brown hues glanced over to the window, seeing the sunlight dripping through the blinds and then glanced over to the duffel.

"Um...I take it I'm being held hostage."

_Smart, just, but not the smart stupid that try to get away._

"Yeah, I need one, 'n you've been good so far." Renji put his hand under Ichigo's arm and pulled him to stand. "If ya really need to sleep, you can do it in the car." The redhead smirked, looking at the kid in the eye. "You're not gonna fight me on this, are ya? 'cause I kinda like how you're not a prat."

Gasping once he was tugged up, Ichigo swallowed once his brown hues connected with red. "Can I just...do something real quick?" he questioned, glancing down on the hand holding his arm. "Just one thing. One. That's all I ask and then I'll go quietly."

The question surprised him. It wasn't a plea to be freed and it made the criminal have a small smile flash across his face before it vanished and he eyed the boy with curiosity at the request. "What's the thing ya need to do?"

"Well...if you don't want to have the police called when my brother gets back and I'm still gone by sundown..." He kept his eyes on the arm, slowly lifting them to look at Renji's face. "I'll leave him a note. Tell him I'll be gone a few days."

Renji blinked. "You're just talkin' about a written note, yeah? Not a phone call?" He folded his arms before him. "If that's what you're asking for then go ahead. Easier for me."

Ichigo nodded once the other questioned it being a note or not and moved to go get a pen and paper from the drawers in the kitchen. Ending up with strawberry decorated paper - he didn't even want to explain - and a black pen, scribbling down a note about going to 'Fun World' and underlining the place as well.

Again: didn't want to explain.

Setting the pen down, he then moved over to where the duffel bag was. "Okay, well, I guess we can head out now." Ichigo went over to the closet and dug around as best he could with bound hands and grabbed a pair of untied shoes to slip on.

He walked up behind Ichigo and grabbed the paper, looking it over and scoffing, muttering something like, "Cute," under his breath and putting it down. Renji couldn't read, except for a few words. All at once, he regretted letting Ichigo write the note, but if he was like he thought - not an asshole that the public usually was - then the boy would help him out.

"Try 'n hurry up. I can just hear the stupid police cars in the distance." Renji bit his lip and slung the bag over his shoulder, walking to the door and pulling the gun out from his pants.

Tugging on the second shoe at this point, Ichigo stared at the convict before standing up straight and holding his hands out in a frantic manner. "Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, here. Don't pull that out. Haven't you learned that from other dumb criminals?" Pointing to the weapon, he then made a twirling motion with his hands, as if searching for a word. "'don't draw attention to yourself' ring any bells?"

The convict blinked, eyes widening from surprise. Renji looked down at the gun and mulled over what Ichigo had said. "What do ya mean? ' _Other dumb criminals_ '? Have you ever met another criminal before?" He glared at him, not seeing movies or the news since he was small, he wasn't able to connect what the kid was saying.

"Ye- no...I haven't. But the most common mistake at times is drawing attention to themselves like, say, pulling out a gun in broad daylight." He motioned to the gun once more. "I'm not trying to be an ass, but really. Put that away."

"Oh, yer a college student in this...thing." He looked down at the gun and sighed. Renji muttered something under his breath again and then placing the gun in his pants where it was before. The 'not drawing attention to yourself' idea gave him one.

Okay, that was one less problem to deal with. Now another arose.

Ichigo's arms were pretty obviously tied in front of him. The best way to hide that would to act like he was taking him to the hospital. He pulled a blanket out and draped it over the student's shoulders. "I'm not thinkin' yer stupid, but keep in mind that if ya say a word I'll shoot ya right in the head."

At this the orange haired student just nodded and glanced down on his shoes. Well, he probably looked the part of whatever his captor tried to play him off as.

"Come on." He opened the door, pulling Ichigo around and then placing his arm around him, like he was giving him support. Closing the door quickly behind him, they headed toward the neighbor's car.

With an inward sigh of defeat, Ichigo walked along with the tattooed man. Well, it couldn't be that bad being a hostage, right?

Renji hadn't hit him yet, though Ichigo gave him no reason to. He hadn't yelled at him, again, given no reason to.

Yet when this was all over who knew what the older male would do. Personally, he was getting a bit scared about the thought, though it would be best if he just went along with whatever stunt the man was going to pull if it would keep his family safe from harm or being involved. Hopefully.

They made it to the door and Renji - whom had broken into the neighbor's house while Ichigo was fast asleep - put the key in, opening the door and helping Ichigo into the back seat where he quickly closed the door and hurried around to the other side. In a matter of seconds, Renji had the car on and turned onto the road.

He'd looked at the map he'd found and memorized the roads he was going to take, heading that way now. Thanks to his little captive in the backseat, he was able to skip getting provisions and shit that might get him caught by the police. "Stay down until we get outta the city."

Perfectly situated in the back, laying down, Ichigo shrugged and turned so his back was facing Renji. "Sure thing." he mumbled, letting his eyes slide shut as he moved the blanket to make a make-shift pillow under his head.

May as well get more sleep since he couldn't really do anything at this point in time.  
 **\---**  
A good deal of time passed as Renji drove - rather manically since he'd been in jail for a long time and driving was not like riding a bike. He stopped for absolutely nothing, just trying to get the fuck out of the city. Which was easier than he had thought it would be. No road blocks or people checking for IDs for cars.

It was too easy.

Renji eventually noticed that the morning they had left had vanished and it was evening. He rubbed his eyes as he looked in the back, almost the first time he'd done that since they left (the real first time being the time when he told Ichigo that he could sit up now if he wanted and found that the orange haired college student was just slumbering away). "We're going to stop at a motel."

Said student had moved to sit up sometime before the other spoke and brushed stray strands of hair out of his face. "Oh. Okay." Glancing down, he tapped the toes of his shoes together with a thoughtful look, wondering if his twin had gotten his message. Like, understood the contents of it. "So...where are we?"

The answer flew by on a nasty coloured green sign. "Fresno." He glanced back, giving him a pleased smile. It had been a while since things had gone his way. Renji used to wonder if he was just given bad luck to suffer with all his days. Something going as well as this was something to be happy about, or at least revel in for a minute. "Makin' tracks and that's a good thin'."

 _Oh, right..._ Ichigo blinked as he stared at the smile then at just the back of Renji's head. _He needs to get to that bar._

The redhead blinked as he saw the first motel that had a sign and directions on how to get there. "An' we're stoppin' at Day's Inn Fresno if they have an openin'."

"They most likely will..." he mumbled, shifting his hands about to keep them occupied. "Anyway...do you even know where this place is? That you're going to, I mean."

"Truth is, I'm spit ballin' it. I dunno if my memory is good, but I remember hearin' about stuff next to it and around it. Landmarks an' shit." Renji shrugged. "So, I think I know where I'm headed. Outta here, at least." He glanced back at Ichigo again, locking eyes with him for a moment as if he was trying to get into the kid's head.

Brown locked with red, Ichigo trying to read the other just by his eyes. He simply nodded and just sat there, staring back at Renji.

"This is gonna be a long trip, so...uh..." He looked around, as if searching for something. A way to get off the road for the motel, maybe. "Ya gotta family, yeah? A brother, I figure from what ya said before. Anyone else?"

"He's my younger brother actually." he corrected. Both himself and the convict. "My dad, my two younger sisters, my mom -" Ichigo immediately stopped there, whatever tint of happiness from just thinking about his family gone. "...my mom...well..." Shifting in his seat, he stared out the window at this time, rather uncomfortable.

Renji felt the tension and shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road, but glancing in the mirror to see the captive's face. "Don't have ta talk about it. There's stuff I'd rather not talk about too." He seemed almost kind hearted for a moment before Renji cursed under his breath at sounding so sappy.

A mumbled, "Thanks," was given as a response to the other's words. Turning his attention back to Renji, Ichigo offered an awkward, tiny, smile. "Most would try and guess what happened. At least you dropped it."

The redhead didn't say anything in reply, looking just solemn as he drove on, turning off and finally starting toward the motel.

After a little while he finally spoke. "I'm surprised ya haven't asked me to tell ya about my family." He turned to look over his shoulder, almost as if he didn't care where the car was heading. Fortunately, Renji seemed to be able to drive without looking at the road. "Why?"

Shrugging, Ichigo then chuckled in a lighthearted manner. "I just figured that you wouldn't want me to ask." He stopped chuckling and then glanced down on the flooring. "Besides...you'd tell me on your own time and when you're ready. If...if you wanted to."

"Yer..." He bit his lip, turning into the parking lot of the motel and parking a little away from the main office. If someone walked out and saw the car with a tied up boy and the obvious criminal, the ruse would be over. "Yer a good kid, Ichi."

This had the younger male shrug as if it wasn't that all surprising or important to say such then be considered good. Not in his opinion at least. _I don't know if I'd say 'good'._

The mini van engine came to a stop, becoming quiet as Renji opened the door and then, once he stepped out, thought to lean into the car once more and look Ichigo straight in the eyes. "I'm gonna remind ya, ta keep it down. I don't wanna cause a scene." Renji just assumed that Ichigo would understand that he was...on edge.

Yes, causing a scene would end badly. Badly for which man? Ichigo had no idea, but didn't bother to ponder on the thoughts any longer than he should. Nodding to the other's words, the law student reached for the blanket and tugged it up to his chin and leaned back with his brown eyes looking straight ahead. "Got it."

Turning around, Renji shut the door and pushed the lock button on the fob to put the alarm on. Ichigo had done nothing to earn Renji's distrust, but the truth of the matter was that the convict's past was riddled with reasons to hate people. Being sent to juvi when he was a kid and soon being put into jail permanently didn't exactly surround him with lifelong pals and trustworthy friends.

After a few remarks from the employee - mostly concerning how Renji said he wanted a one bed hotel room, he took the keys and glared at the asshole who assumed he wanted one bed to get busy that night. Spending most of his life in prison, Renji knew what sex was and how it worked. He'd seen enough to know how to do it too, especially to men, but somehow, he managed to scare off even the bigger men in the Hellhole and keep his ass in tact. The only reason he got the bed was that he was a light sleeper. If Ichigo moved off the bed at all, he'd be able to tell and wake up.

Said college student was currently looking for his duffel bag, mostly in hopes of finding at least some kind of food that wasn't in a blasted can. Twisting about in his seat, Ichigo furrowed his brows as he continued to search for the bag. _C'mon...how hard is it to find a damn red Wendy's duffel? Seriously..._ he thought, grumbling, and finally moved to get out of his seat to turn and peer over the back of his seat. _...Tatsuki...Tatsuki gave me that bag._

Ichigo sank his teeth into his lower lip, hands gripping the seat tightly as his shoulders slumped and his whole form soon following it.

He hoped she would worry, but again hoped she didn't. Last time he made her worried, he was ill with a fever and had to stay home, she broke into his house and hit him a couple times, scolded him for being so dense, glared at him as he sputtered an apology, then simply kissed his forehead and stayed the whole night.

Not that anyone else would see a problem with that. But those people didn't _know_ Tatsuki the way he did. Worry punches hurt like hell and she came by each day with a bowl of soup, acting like an upset mother cat.

See, Ichigo compared her to a cat for various reasons - some he didn't even want to get into, and she'd fuss over someone for days, even a day or two after they got better. Then, once she knew they were a hundred percent okay, she'd slap their back with a force that would make them stumble.

But that was Tatsuki. His Tatsuki.

A small smile came to his lips and chuckled.

As Ichigo reminisced of his girlfriend, Renji walked out with the keys and both a grumpy attitude. That guy had rubbed him the wrong way, and if Ichigo hadn't told him a few hours before that 'not bringing attention' to himself was a good idea, he'd have punched that jackass in the face.

He unlocked the door and hopped in, looking back at Ichigo and noticing that he'd been moving around. "What've you been doing in here?" Renji eyed him with some displeasure.

Renji then rolled his eyes and turned around, turning the car on and moving to the other side of the building, parking just in front of their room on the ground floor.

Moving to plop back down correctly on the seat, Ichigo grabbed at the blanket again and furrowed his brows in a contemplating manner. "I was just looking for my duffel bag."

Renji proceeded to grab the duffel bag out from under the driver's seat where he'd stashed the bag from the very beginning of their ride and then walked around to open the back door, grabbing Ichigo's arm and pulling him out until he could close the door and head toward the motel room.

The unexpected tug had Ichigo blink and let out a surprised sound, yet other than that was relatively quiet afterward.

"I'll untie ya in the room if ya don't cause a scene." Another unneeded warning, but he said it anyway, putting his arm around Ichigo's shoulder as if he were dating him or something to make it seem like they were just a lovely couple. He found it easier to steer him to the door this way, unlocking it and forcing Ichigo to walk in first.

Once he'd entered, he locked the door, made sure the window was closed and briefly checked for wires or cameras or something. He found nothing and then gestured for Ichigo to sit on the bed.

Besides the whole sudden closeness like before, Ichigo was busying himself with other matters at hand. Like, as mentioned before, Tatsuki worrying about his random vanishing act. Trailing over to where the redhead gestured, the student plopped his bottom down, forearms resting on his thighs as he finally took note of the single bed.

This is where things got awkward. See, Ichigo had shared a bed with his twin in younger years and _only_ in younger years, unless either one of them had a nightmare that shook them to the core, but other than that he'd never shared a bed with anyone afterwards. Not that sharing was an issue, but the issue at hand was that - if he was correct - he'd be laying in the bed with another man. That's where the problem resided.

He'd shared a bed with his girlfriend a few times, whenever she felt like it, but never with a grown male. Not with another guy after Hichigo, ever.

Once he'd made more tests to make sure that the room was secluded, even looking in the bathroom, noting that there were no windows or means of escape, he walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ichigo. He looked up at the kid and pulled out a knife from his pocket. "Come 'ere so I can cut those."

Ichigo's eyes had widened at the appearance of the knife, sneaking a peek at the robe tie to see if that was absolutely necessary, and scooted just a little closer while holding out his bound wrists.

Renji reached out, taking hold of Ichigo's wrists to steady them so that he wouldn't accidentally cut the kid. "'fore ya ask. Yeah, I tied a good knot. Too good." He sliced through them, picking up the scraps and moved to the head of the bed where the trash can was.

Blinking as he watched the redhead, Ichigo brought his hands back to his side, his left hand rubbing his right wrist. Glancing down on the freed limbs, he gnawed on his lower lip with a confused look at how a robe tie could leave marks on his wrists. Honestly, he never considered the possibility such a thing could do this.

Then again, taking into consideration that he'd been tied up for a while, it was possible.

He watched Ichigo as he sat down on the bed next to him again, letting his eyes fall to the wrists that looked a little red. Renji almost felt bad because he'd have to tie him up again before they went to sleep.

"Ya want somethin' ta eat?" The redhead turned away from him and bent over to start rummaging through the duffel bag. He'd grabbed a few preservatives that would last them a while without being refrigerated. While Ichigo might turn his nose up at it, it was better than anything he'd had in the slammer.

Bringing his legs up onto the bed, Ichigo crossed them Indian style and tilted his head to watch the redhead. He then placed his hands on his knees with a nod once his stomach decided to announce that it was starving. "Yeah." Ichigo laughed nervously as another growl came from his stomach. Raising a hand, he rubbed the back of his neck in a thoughtful manner. "Hey, uh...Renji..."

The question passed right over his head as he pulled out two cans of fruit (pears) and handed one to the other along with a plastic spoon. "Hm?"

Ichigo pursed his lips, turning his head away as he lowered his hand. "Mind telling me what got you in this position?"


	3. Chapter three

Renji stopped, looking down at the can with a rather solemn gaze. "I killed someone." He popped the can top and speared a piece of the pear. The redhead avoided eye contact, standing up and walking over to the window, looking through the blinds.

A silent, "Oh..." echoed about the room, Ichigo holding onto the pull-tab can of fruit and gripped said tab to tug it open with slanted brows. Okay, he went too far there, he knew that much. Placing the spoon into the container, he twirled it around to watch the pieces twist and turn, an apology hanging from his lips but he couldn't bring himself to say another word.

So, to avoid saying anything, he lifted the spoon and placed a few fruit slices in his mouth.

The convict was quiet, glancing between the window to Ichigo, just to make sure that nothing was happening that he didn't want. He eventually swallowed down another pear and put his back against the wall. "If ya want a shower, ya best do it before me. I'll have ta tie ya to the bedpost." Renji prodded another of the fruit.

It was odd, explaining to this kid what he was thinking. Simply saying that he was going to tie the kid up was odd enough. It wasn't like he'd ever really been in a situation like this before. All he wanted to was to cover his tracks.

Ichigo lifted his eyes to look over at the criminal, his stomach twisting into a knot once he was told that he'd be bound and restrained once more. Not that it was surprising, seeing as he'd given no reason to be left untied while the other was away. Perhaps it was something instilled in them. That they had to keep the captive down and secured while they went about their business elsewhere.

Sometimes he wondered if it was really worth being in law school at this point, cruel irony.

 _Fate's a cruel mistress afterall..._ Placing the spoon back into the can, he stared down on it while nodding. _Doesn't he even wonder why in the hell I'm so calm about all this? I'd be if I were him. Then again...it's best to cooperate instead of giving him a reason to gun me down and drop my dead body in an alley somewhere - Ichigo...shut up. Thanks, Ichigo._

Placing a hand over the lower half of his face, the vibrant haired man rubbed it with a frustrated look. Now he was talking to himself. In his head, but still talking to himself. No, that wasn't crazy - yes it was.

Renji wasn't very aware of how things worked normally, that was the real reason why he didn't see anything wrong with Ichigo's attitude. He was just glad that he wasn't having any problems except running away from the police to deal with.

He soon finished the can and after drinking the juice, he threw it away, walking over to the bathroom and checking it again. "Uh...so...ya have a family, right?" Renji turned around, looking at the kid. "Don't worry...I'm not planning on killin' ya or anythin'. Once I get to where I'm goin' ya can leave. I won't have a need for the car."

Chewing on the mouthful in his mouth, Ichigo glanced over his shoulder to the other with a confused look. Though relief had washed over him once Renji mentioned letting him go when they reached where the other needed to be. He continued to chew then swallowed with a soft exhale. "So I'll be a 'free bird' in a sense then."

The student looked into the can and then finished the rest before standing and tossing it out into the trash.

"And you'll still be on the run?"

"Yeah... I guess that you could say that." The man looked down at the floor and then shook his head. "I'll still be on the run, but it wouldn't matter if I got caught after that point." Renji frowned, realizing that he'd said too much and then gestured to the bathroom. "Be quick about it because I'm tired. Ya got to sleep, I haven't slept for a few days."

This is the point where Ichigo figured he should shut his trap. So, with that, he got up and headed toward the duffel to see if the other had packed hygiene. Rather glad the redhead did and grabbed what he needed before finally going into the bathroom to take a shower.

Starting to shut the door, Ichigo held the shampoo and stuff in his left arm. The door shutting being a habit mostly. Since Hichigo tended to want to bug him or even toss the only dry towel into the shower - all that kiddish stuff that he never grew out of.

"Oi, what do ya think yer doin'?" Renji had moved over to the bed, but was now standing up as he glared at the boy's action. "Why're ya closin' the door?"

The orange head blinked and then felt his cheeks start to redden. Either from embarrassment or frustration he didn't know - though it was probably embarrassment. "Um...it's a habit."

Renji blinked, his frown deepening as he watched him. "Keep it open." He walked forward and pushed the door all the way open.

"No way." was the first thing that came out of Ichigo's mouth as a response as he placed his hand on the door to prevent it from being opened entirely.

"Either ya leave it open or I watch ya shower here." There was nothing wrong with leaving the door opening. He saw nothing wrong with the situation and why Ichigo was so adamantly against it. "It's not like I wanna do anythin' ta ya. Just gotta make sure ya don't do anything."

Now Ichigo's face was turning red from anger. "Seriously, no. I'm not leaving the door open and you are not going to be in here while I shower." His lips tugged down into a deep frown, scowling and tightening his hold on the door. "Now...let me close the damn door."

He forced it open, all the way, pushing Ichigo back. "I ain't lookin' ta watch ya bathe. Just leave the fuckin' door open." Renji glared at him.

Stumbling back, Ichigo nearly dropped the things in his arm and bit the inside of his cheek before setting the things down on the sink's counter. "...I don't want the door open." he mumbled, furrowing his brows then looking back over at the convict. "I followed you without complaining once. The one little thing I need most is privacy, which means I need the door shut." Ichigo then motioned to the non-existent window. "Do you see a window anywhere? 'cause I'm not seeing one." He then lowered his hand. "Call me an ungrateful bastard, a college brat, some stupid dumbass - whatever. But I'm serious."

This rather abrupt reply had Renji's frown turn into a soft curious one. "Why...why do you need 'privacy'?" It didn't matter that there wasn't a window there. Maybe it was because it was just such an odd thing for him to see. When they peed, they did it in front of others, when they showered, same thing, why would there even be a door here?

"Wha-"

Blinking, the orange head stared at Renji as if the other had grown a second head. Why did he need privacy? Did he seriously just ask that? He rose a hand and rubbed his face, closing his eyes and a contemplating look surfacing while trying to figure out how to explain the whole 'needing privacy' thing to the convict.

"Okay, um...I know it seems weird and all about the privacy issue but..." Lowering his hand, Ichigo bit his lower lip. "We don't have to shower together or see one another - unless you're together. Like...couple together. That and it's kinda awkward and stuff to some people if others see them naked." All the while while explaining this, the student's face went from thoughtful to uncomfortable to embarrassed and back.

It must have been a long time since he'd been out of prison, because he simply frowned at the orange haired captive and pulled his arms further toward his chest. The explanation just hadn't made a lick of sense to him, but he eventually just narrowed his eyes and shook his head at the other's words. "I still don't like ya closin' the door, but if ya need ta, ya keep it at least cracked and unlocked. I won't do shit ta ya."

A relieved look crossed Ichigo's features at this, feeling a bit better with the door going to be somewhat shut. He nodded at the redhead's words and began to get his shower ready.

To show what he was talking about, Renji reached out and gripped the door knob. He pulled the door to the point where he wanted it (where he could see the light of the bathroom but not the boy inside) and strode over to the bed where he turned on the television and flipped through the channels, stopping at the news for a moment to check and see if they were on his trail or if he was even on the news at all.

Meanwhile in the bathroom Ichigo had taken off his shirt, folding it neatly and placing it on the cover to the toilet. Done with that he crouched down and turned the knobs to get the water flowing, adjusting the temperature. Once it was at a comfortable level he stood and began to remove his jeans, crouching down to tug a pantleg off then moved to the other.

Doing the same procedure like he'd done with his shirt, Ichigo set it down and twisted the knob to turn the shower on. Which had sounded like the water was forcing its way through the pipes then sputtered out, causing the student to flinch at the sound. _Could be worse._ he thought, trying to be as optimistic as possible.

Ichigo pushed the curtain aside, slipping his boxers off, and finally grabbing his stuff before stepping into the shower.

Out in the bedroom, the redhead began flipping through channels again, glancing over at the bathroom every now and then to make sure that he wasn't getting watched by the other. He didn't even know why he was suspicious of the other. True, he'd taken the kid as his hostage, but the boy had done absolutely nothing to make him feel like there was any foul play.

_I've got to get over this...I can at least let him shower in 'privacy.'_

The pillows were beginning to feel so comfortable. His light brown hues began to fall as he watched the news buttons flying by on the screen. Renji realized what was happening and forced himself to sit up, propping himself, instead, against the headboard.

This was less comfortable, but it sure kept him awake. Renji eventually rolled his eyes at the television, finding nothing suitable and turned it off, walking over to the duffel bag and pulling out a few lengths of rope - also courtesy of the next door neighbours Ichigo had - and a roll of tape.

He wouldn't be able to watch what the kid was doing, which meant that if the kid saw a shadow or something passing the window, he might try to signal for help (vocally).

Then, he patiently waited, staring at the bathroom door with the hemp rope held loosely in his hand with the tape by his feet.

Said wait didn't take too long, Ichigo exiting the bathroom with a hand using the towel to still dry his unruly hair. Clothed in a plain black long-sleeved shirt and denim jeans. Blinking, the orange haired Kurosaki glanced over to the bed and at the convict, soon lowering his sights to the tape and frowned a bit.

"...think the attendant recognized your face?"

Renji looked thoughtful for a minute before shaking his head. "Nah, he was too stupid to put the pieces together. We won't be here long 'nough for him ta notice where I'm from." He stood looking him over for a minute, before returning to the guy's face.

The other man had a point there, Ichigo realized. After all, it did take a while for police to finally give the word to the media to show a picture of a criminal they were after - if they saw no other option. Perhaps they were still looking for him in Stanford.

Holding out the rope as if to say, 'let's get it over with,' Renji stepped forward. "If yer ready, go and sit on the bed with yer hands 'bove yer head."

"Aren't you at least a little worried once your picture is in the news?" Lowering his gaze, Ichigo let the towel rest across his shoulders, hands moving to grip both ends of the small fabric. "I mean...you won't be able to enter a place without being recognized."

The question had his arms fall to his side. "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." He scratched his cheek with his free hand and then averted his eyes to the television. "I only need to enter..." Renji stopped, thinking about what he was saying. "Nevermind."

With a soft sigh Ichigo made his way over to the bed and plopped down on it, releasing the towel and soon tugging it off his shoulders. "If your picture isn't on the tv by then...I'd consider myself lucky if I were you. I'm sure they've figured out by now that you're no longer in Sanford." Setting the cloth aside, the man leaned forward, linking his fingers together as he rested his arms on his thighs. "I don't know what you're up to, I can't even begin to figure out why you need to get to Benie's Bar...but I can tell you this much," Ichigo turned his head to look the other in the eyes and smiled slightly, "my gut tells me you're not really a bad person."

"S-shuttap and put yer hands up." Renji averted his eyes again. Walking over to Ichigo, he focused on the boy's hands, forcing them up over his head and began to tie them to the bedpost. It took all that he had to keep from getting bright red in the face at the pure stupidity that the kid was spouting.

_He's telling the convict that's tying him up and that held him hostage that "you're not a bad person." Is this kid insane or just stupid?_

Despite his bad attitude, he tied the rope less tight than he usually would have. Perhaps repayment for Ichigo being so cooperative.

Tilting his head back, he watched as the rope was tied and moved his hands to make sure they still had blood circulating in them. The whole thing of if something was too tight one could lose feeling in their hands - or something like that. After a moment the Kurosaki just shrugged. "I was just being honest."

In a few seconds, Ichigo was firmly secured to the bedpost and Renji walked back to the end of the bed, grabbing the tape from the floor and pulling the silver strip from the roll. He cut off the strip with his teeth and then bent down, pasting it over Ichigo's slips, slowly smoothing it out before taking off another few strips and adding to it. "Yea, yea. Just do me a favour an' keep quiet, ya got it?"

The student nodded, just deciding to do so to show he understood. Although with the tape over his mouth he couldn't say a word, much less peep. Brown eyes lifted to look at the convict then over to the side to stare at a window. Wasn't much of a view but at least it was something else to look at.

Renji moved to go into the kitchen but stopped, glancing over his shoulder. "Ya want me ta turn on the tele. or somethin'?" He realized that he was being kind of an asshole by just tying him up, gagging him, and forcing him to lie there in silence.

In all honesty, Ichigo had wanted to read a book right now. Just any kind of book. Looking back over at Renji, the student shook his head before closing his eyes and leaning his cheek against his shoulder. Hotels, motels, and inns didn't really have the best selection of shows to watch. Unless someone was downright bored or desperate.

_I wonder how Tatsuki's doing..._


	4. Chapter four

With a light shrug, the convict turned around and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open like he had wanted to have Ichigo do. He'd forgotten what Ichigo had said before, mostly because the explanation had made no sense and he didn't care. The moment he entered the bathroom, he took off his shirt, revealing a good set of abs and the upper half of his tattoos.

Opening his eyes as he heard the other's footsteps fade in sound, Ichigo cast a glance over to the bathroom to see the door was indeed open. Not only that but he got to see the other's build. _Damn..._ If he could, the law student would be biting his lower lip from jealousy. Sure, he did exercise, but only when he had time for it. _And he's had a_ lot _of time._

He thought little of it as he just let the shirt fall to the floor, removing the gun from his pants and placing it on the counter before unbuckling his pants and letting those join the shirt on the floor. It was just like a criminal to not wear underwear, since it wasn't exactly necessary in an escape or run. Though, it definitely showed his finely toned thighs and legs, not to mention that his cock was rather large in girth, even while flaccid.

Ichigo's face was beet red at this point, turning his head away immediately before he even gave himself a chance to stare. Bunching his shoulders up, the younger man looked over at the wall, moving to sit with his knees curled. _No, nonononono. Don't look. Do. Not. Look. Ichigo, you have a girlfriend..._ Nodding firmly to himself, he glared at the sheets.

Renji walked forward, out of sight from the bedroom as he turned on the water and felt that it was still warm from when Ichigo had used it. He set it to shower and then picked up the gun, placing it on the edge of the shower in case something were to happen and he needed it.

Mentally scolding himself, Ichigo swallowed nervously. He knew he had been staring, if only temporarily, and felt a pang of envy for how strong Renji was. Hell, he even saw where the tattoos trailed down - _DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! You're not gay! You're flaming heterosexual! Now. Stop._

Was it bad that the image was now burned into his mind?

He hopped into the shower, feeling the warmth of the hot water splashing on his body. It'd been a long time since he'd been able to have a nice shower like this. Usually, he'd be stuck in freezing cold water while his body just adapted to it for five seconds. Long enough for him to get some sort of cleansing junk on him.

The redhead's fingers ran through his slowly dampening hair, removing the hair-tie as he went along and put it off to the side while he continued down the long locks. It went down to the middle of his back, it was so long. Who had time to cut any of it in prison? They wouldn't let them near scissors or anyone that could use them, so Renji just figured he'd make do.

It took a little longer than he had expected, after all, he hadn't been able to touch warm water - except for the water they gave them to drink - in almost a decade. Renji was just basking in it and hadn't thought about the shampoo until a little ways in. When he finally started cleaning his hair, it took a bit for him to get it in the tangled mess and then rinsed out. However long it took, Renji walked out of the bathroom, feeling quite refreshed.

Unlike Ichigo, he hadn't brought in a change of clothes into the bathroom, just assuming he'd get them when he was done. So, thoughtlessly, he grabbed the towel and walked out of the bathroom, getting to the duffel bag before actually wrapping it around his waist.

Bending over, the towel didn't exactly cover his ass, but it did its job in any case as he slowly raised with a pair of clothes that he'd liked the most out of Ichigo's selection. It was a band shirt with a bright coloured font that said "Death Cab for Cutie" and white ink splotches on the front and back.

_Oh my God!_ The orange head tried to keep his eyes away, really he did, but noticed that he kept sneaking a little peek. Much to his dismay. _Okay...calm down. Freaking out isn't going to help..._ With that thought he glanced down at his pantlegs.

Ichigo might have not even been in the room, because the extent of Renji's knowledge of the modern world was when he was a child, he simply took off the towel, dried himself off and then wore the clothes - once again without underwear.

Letting out a soft liberated sigh, he turned to face the captive and grinned. It was actually a true blue smile, toothy and all. "Y'know, they don't have stuff like that in the slammer." He looked over at it with a pleased expression.

Glancing up towards Renji's face, the student rose a brow at the smile then let his gaze wander over to the bathroom. _Oh...yeah, that._ Ichigo looked back over to Renji and stared at the smile, absentmindedly letting a thought of how much nicer the redhead seemed to be with it. _...I'm beginning to scare myself here._

Simply moving to turn off the light in the bathroom and heading back over to the bed, Renji climbed onto it with his knees until he reached the headboard and laid back, turning the television on once more and looking for a news channel.

His captive released a sigh of sorts, his eyes glancing over to the tv and shifting to scoot down and lay on his back. Only to then turn and lay on his side, taking his eyes off of the channel surfing the other man was doing.

Renji blinked, watching as Ichigo moved to show the criminal his back. He didn't think much of it, finally reaching a channel that had him stop and frown. His previous good mood (which lasted all of five minutes) vanished as he saw a sketch of his face on the screen. It didn't incorporate the long flowing hair he had, but it certainly looked like him.

The television's volume began to raise as Renji pushed the button on the remote.

" _...the police have finally sent out a message and a sketch of this dangerous criminal to the public. Renji Abarai is armed and people are advised to keep their doors and windows locked. His last seen whereabouts were in the Stanford district, now are unknown._ " The news reporter looked unfazed, even getting ready a smile to make it seem not so bad.

The redhead chuckled, unlike what one might have assumed his reaction would be. "The latest picture they have of me was when I was eleven." It was a bitter laugh and it was meant to just be to himself, but Ichigo heard this since he was too focused on the television to control his words.

He saw the news report change to something about a woman saving a baby from a shopping cart or some nonsense, to which he muted it and then, finding nothing interesting to keep his attention, turned off the TV.

Ichigo's odd sleeping position caught Renji's eye as he stared at the back of the college kid's head.

"Tomorrow, we're going again. Early in the mornin', so, get sleep."

Ichigo had been staring at the wall throughout the short news clip about the escaped convict, the man behind him, and couldn't keep down the sickening sensation that rose when his stomach twisted into a knot. That happened sooner than he'd expected, way too soon.

_Now I'm gonna have a pissy criminal on my hands..._ Mentally, he groaned, resting his cheek against his arm as Ichigo eventually closed his eyes. _...just great._

He reached over and turned off the lamp, blinking in the darkness as his eyes readjusted onto Ichigo's figure. The orange hair was practically like the sun, bright and blinding.

Renji opened his mouth, as if to say something, but closed it a moment later, shaking his head and taking the gun from his pants and into his hands as he pulled a blanket over him and fell into a semi-sleep.  
\---  
Sometime that morning, Ichigo had woken up due to the sun's rays seeping through the blinds. This had caused him to grumble and turn to lay on his other side, shielding his eyes in a way. Sluggishly he opened his eyes a bit, blinking slowly and staring at the red color in front of him.

_Wait...why is the bed red?_ Turning his head, Ichigo rubbed his eyes as best he could against his arm then looked back at the color. _Wha- oh...right._ He glanced up towards Renji's face, noting how the man's hair was spread out amoung the pillow and on the mattress as well. _Huh..._

Ichigo turned his head again, closing his eyes and burying his face into his arm.

Another half an hour passed.

The convict was simply slumbering away.

It might have been because before then, the only mattress he remembered sleeping on was a bundle of hay shoved into a bag for the inmates to sleep on, or it was that he'd been up for almost four days straight trying to keep out of the police's eyes. There were several factors, but his plan to wake up early was foiled by his body's need for sleep.

He began to mutter something under his breath, something that sounded almost sweet, but was followed by a saddening tone.

Eventually the mutterings had stirred Ichigo from his sleep and shifted, blinking as he looked at the other's posture. He raised a brow at the other simply mumbling in his sleep, causing Ichigo to breathe out slowly from his nose as he shifted his form to then lay on his back.

Brown hues turned to look at the window, staring at it before cocking his head back to look at the rope with furrowed brows. _This is starting to get uncomfortable..._

"Bastard...gonna...gonna..." Renji's eyebrows furrowed deep toward his nose. His face was contorting and his hands were clenching, mostly around his gun, but not as if he were going to shoot it, just gripping it.

The blanket had tangled around his legs, acting more as a restraint than a cover.

It seemed like this was the point where Ichigo should probably wake the man up. Letting his left leg stretch out, the student began to poke Renji's leg with a concentrated look on his face.

The poke did its job.

Renji jumped, growling as he sat up and was about to attack what was touching him before he noticed that it was, in fact, Ichigo's leg. "Huh?" He pushed aside the long red bangs out of his face and turned them onto the orange head.

Pulling his leg back entirely once he noticed the other was awake, Ichigo motioned with his chin to the light of the mid-evening sun's rays filtering through the blinds.

"Ah..." He glanced at the clock and sighed. "I wanted to leave earlier..." Renji pulled himself off the bed to stand and look out the window for a moment.

The student sighed, closing his eyes while scooting up to sit while crossing his legs Indian style as he waited for Renji to move about and possibly untie him before the last minute so he could, obviously, use the bathroom so they wouldn't need to stop at some random place and - yeah. Less stops probably equaled a happy, pleasant, Renji.

After making sure that the cost was clear, he moved away from the window and looked at Ichigo's bound form on the bed. He smirked, thinking about how quiet the other had been and even waking him up.

This time, with no warnings, he walked around the bed and began to untie Ichigo's bonds, planning to use the rope for when they headed off to their next destination.

"Use the bathroom, we aren't gonna stop for anything." He jutted his head toward the room for good measure. "When yer done, come out with yer hands in front of ya."

Once his hands were free Ichigo worked on getting the tape off of his mouth, breathing in then nodding. "All right."

Renji almost wished that he didn't have to do it. Ichigo had been extremely compliant, but with his picture all over the news now, he didn't know when he'd be noticed. Having something as extra security that he wouldn't get caught just made him more comfortable.

Pushing to stand, the bright haired Kurosaki rubbed his wrists, pulling back the sleeve as if to see if the redness had faded though noted how it was just a tint darker than his skin. Well, that wasn't going to last long anyway. Rubbing the lower half of his face, Ichigo made his way to the bathroom and shut the door.

Again, as said before, it was a habit.

The redhead's eyes slanted, but he ignored it, figuring that things were extremely different than he had been lead to believe in prison.

He busied himself by filling the duffel bag with things in the hotel room that he'd previously taken out of the bag (like the duct tape and a few bandannas). Renji took the hair-tie and used it to bind his hair up again, then moving to take a black bandanna and tie it over his forehead.

Ichigo exited the bathroom a few moments later, having done what he'd set out to do. "Aren't you a little worried that the attendant will recognize you now? I mean...if they saw the news."

"That idiot? I doubt he watches the news." He rolled his eyes and shrugged in an uncaring way, though he had just been thinking about that very thing. "I'm not going to go drop off the key. I'll just leave it in the room and we'll take off."

In any other situation Ichigo would have been rather unhappy about just up and leaving, not handing the key over in a polite way - even if Renji had looked like he wanted to sock the man in the nose. Or perhaps worse. "You never know..." he muttered, glancing to the side.

"Hands." Grabbing the hostage's wrists, he held them at waist level, starting to bind them so that the palms were touching. Another security.

His grip was firm as he bound them with just one hand, skillfully slipping his fingers inside knots and pulling them out when Ichigo's wrists were finally and fully immobile.

"When we get in the car, ya can eat somethin'."

_I think I lost my appetite knowing I'll be used as a meat shield from the police..._ Staring down at his hands, the orange head couldn't help the scowl now gracing his lips. _Joy._

Then, he let the boy go, leaning down, grabbing the bag and slinging it over his shoulder before grabbing Ichigo's bound hands again and pulling him toward the door.

He assumed, that since he had parked so close, that there would be no problem with hiding Ichigo's captive appearance. Still, when he reached the door, he peeked out and continued once he saw that the coast was clear.

There was no problem forcing Ichigo into the backseat and tossing the duffel bag into the side seat.

Sitting in the seat, Ichigo buckled himself up as best he could while turning his head to stare out the window. Maybe this was the point where most people decided 'fuck it' and argued with their captors, fighting against something that shouldn't be fucked with - then again, when he thought about it, that's the time when someone gets desperate and has just given up.

Maybe.

The student shifted in his seat, mulling over his thoughts and trying to keep from speaking. Said thoughts wandering over to if Hichigo got his message, if he told Tatsuki not to worry, simply because they planned a date -

_Oh, shit..._ Lifting his arms up, Ichigo covered his face, nails combing at his bangs in a distressed manner.

They had planned a date. _Today_ , like...this morning, right now, here, today.

_Fuck._


	5. Chapter five

Renji noticed nothing, simply pulling out of the parking lot and tearing down the highway. He cocked his head back so that he could get comfortable with the car seat, but it was nothing like the mattress. All he wanted to was to just lay on it for days on end, without having to worry about shitty things like the cops.

"Ya never answered me, Ich." His voice floated back into the backseat. "Want somethin' to eat?"

Ichigo lowered his hands, shaking his head as his fingertips rubbed at the bottom of his eyes. "No. I'm not hungry."

Resting his elbows on his knees, the younger man moved to rub his face with his hands again, releasing a soft exhale as he did so. The question now was which way they were going. Along with other things, such as: _'And if the police or someone sees you, what'll you do? Use me as a meat shield?'_

That he hoped wouldn't be the case.

"Fine. Tell me if ya change yer mind." He never turned his head back, perhaps that meant that he was starting to trust the boy. There was no more fear of being strangled or him signalling to the car behind him. Though, having him in the backseat still made Renji a little wary.

All this got in return was a simple nod.

They drove in silence, stopping to get gas in an 'out-in-the-middle-of-no-where' station and then they vanished once more, passing through one city, making few pit stops as they went along.

Through the most of said trip, Ichigo's eyes stayed by the window. Brown hues jerking up at points when a car would honk its horn a couple cars ahead or back, as if scared. Being at the most inappropriate time, but who could blame the college student? He was held captive and even though the man wasn't a dick in any means there was no telling what could happen when they got caught.

Eventually, out of nowhere, his stomach growled. Which had caused him to blink and glance down on it as if confused as to how his stomach could be thinking about food at a time like this.

Biting his lower lip, Ichigo scrunched up his shoulders while lowering his head to then mumble, "...I'm hungry."

"Then 'ere." Renji reached to the passenger seat, grabbing the bag thoughtlessly and then holding back, without taking his eyes off the road. "Pick somethin'. I don't think I put more silverware in there, so just deal." He cocked his head to talk to the other, as if just talking forward wouldn't get to him.

Taking hold of the bag, Ichigo pulled it back to his side and unzipped it to rummage through. More cans. Well, it would last longer than refrigerated produce. With that, he began to rummage. _Fruit, fruit, peaches, fruit..._

Renji had kept his wits about him, but he too found himself jumping at every honk of the horn. "We'll be drivin' for a while longer, just sayin'."

Ichigo nodded at this, pulling out a can of what looked like mixed fruit. He hadn't honestly bothered to read it, so guessing was the best he could do right now. Setting it between his legs, he gripped the pop-top's tab and tugged it open. "And crashing in another motel, I take it."

"Yep. We'll be hittin' a few of them until we get there." He glanced back, flashing him a smile.

_I keep expectin' to see a cop car flashin' by...every noise gets me riled. Fuck._

Lifting his head to look the other man in the eyes, Ichigo then let them shift about Renji's face. To the tattoos. Trailing them with an analyzing gaze, biting his lower lip from thought. He could tell that they were both on edge, very on edge. For different reasons but it all came to the same conclusion.

_He's afraid of getting caught,_ Chocolate eyes averted to more black lines, _but if he covered those..._

"What?" The redhead's eyes had been searching the rear-view mirror for any signs of on-coming cars in case he had to start putting more speed between him and whoever was coming, but he caught Ichigo's stare with a rather curious one himself.

At this Ichigo lowered his gaze and took the can from between his legs to then take a sip from it, lowering it a moment later and looking down at it.

He chuckled. "What are ya wonderin' about? My hair or my tats?"

_Actually, I was -_

"Thinking we should go shopping." was all he supplied.

Renji frowned. "What's that supposed ta mean?" He wondered why Ichigo would look at him and then suddenly decide that they needed to go shopping. Not to mention that the pure idea of them going out shopping was stupid and ridiculous.

"Just...shopping..."

"We ain't goin' shoppin' for anythin'. I want to get there without gettin' caught, thanks"

This was the moment were Ichigo's scowl came in full force and glared at the other's reflection in the rear-view mirror. "You'll get caught sooner than later because of your 'tats.'" he pointed out, simple and to the point. With that he lifted the can of fruit once more and tapped the bottom of it to get more to slide down.

The criminal's frown deepened, glaring right back at the other in the mirror. "What do you expect me to do 'bout it?" He flicked his eyes back and forth, making sure to watch the road, but to also glare as much as he could at the orange haired boy.

"Simple." Lowering the can, Ichigo sighed, his shoulders now sagging. "Buy make-up. And before you even think of starting with how that's a 'woman's thing,' think about it this way: if you covered them up then it's one less thing that connects a profile picture to you." He glanced up with another exhale of breath. "Now, here's my question: how badly do you want to get to where you're going? Because if the answer is 'really bad' then we go shopping."

Mixed feelings welled up inside Renji, one being the most obvious: surprise and the other being something along the lines of distaste. The idea that he might have to put make-up over his body just to hide his tattoos was at the same time a smart, but embarrassing idea. "Next you'll be tellin' me to shave my legs!" He sighed. "'sides, there's no way I'm gonna be able to go inta a store or let you go off on yer own."

"Fine!" Ichigo snapped, turning his head away while scrunching up his nose. "Fine, totally fine with me. And you know what, when you do get caught you'll be thinking, 'Oh, you know...maybe I _should_ have listened to him.'" Shrugging, he huffed then went back to eating without another word on the subject.

Renji rolled his eyes. "What are ya, a woman? If you've got an idea how then maybe we'll do it." He growled at the boy, noting that it was getting dark and the very next motel they past would be the one that they sleep in.

"Applying make-up?" Ichigo chewed on the half cherry in his mouth thoughtfully. "Of course I do, I lived with two girls."

He knew it. "Ya _are_ a woman." Renji snickered at the boy in the backseat. "I asked how to get the make-up. Not how ta put it on, stupid."

A bright red managed to color the Kurosaki's face, embarrassment written all over it. "F-fuck off." he grumbled, glaring out the window then glanced back over to the criminal. "It's easy. Just go to the store and I'll handle it from there."

"Look, ya haven't given me any reason ta distrust ya, but I ain't gonna let you do anythin' like that. 'specially with yer hands free." He looked up in the mirror, smiling a little, but serious all the same.

"...so you're not going to come into the store so I can get the right skintone?" Ichigo raised a brow. "'cause that's how it works, y'know."

The redhead sighed. "Ya don't-"

A scowl came to Ichigo's face once more.

He blinked. "The fuck is a 'skintone'?" Renji found himself shaking his head and then let out a roar of laughter. Something he hadn't done in a long time. "Yer a hoot, Ichi."

Ichigo blinked at both the laughter and Renji calling him 'Ichi,' as if it were the most natural thing in the world to say. _Well...this is a shocker..._

"I ain't gonna let either of us go into a store to purchase any of it, 'cause that's just askin' to get caught by the police. There's no safe way of doin' it."

"Do you honestly think police are going to be in a store? As far as I recall I've never seen a cop in there -" the orang head paused and drummed his fingers on the can. "Well, there was this one time but that's mostly on Black Fridays."

Renji didn't reply right away, letting his chuckles subside and then just smiled at the road, searching for a motel, hoping to find one before it got too dark.

"Nah, that's not what I meant. The store owner is bound to see me an' call the cops. It ain't like I'm expectin' some stupid cop to be pursuin' make-up. It's just too damn fishy to think that us goin' in there ain't gonna alert someone an' let 'em know where I am or where I might be headin'."

Releasing a heavy exhale, Ichigo slumped his shoulders and closed his eyes. Defeat was obviously inevitable here.

He really didn't want to get caught. Renji had plans, plans that had to be taken care of now. Then he'd gladly go back to prison if he had to. "I'm gettin' closer and closer. I ain't gonna let anythin' ruin it."

"Yeah, well...the closer you get, the harder it's going to be."

There wasn't really much that he could say about it, other than it just seemed to risky. It was a little odd that Ichigo suggested that he put his plan in jeopardy in order to make his goal that much easier to obtain. Still, Ichigo had given him something to think about, but not that it couldn't wait a few more hours.

A motel came up insight, a little down the road. It was another crappy motel that just might not notice that Renji was a criminal and let him stay the night. There was always the thought of just breaking into a room, but any possible cause for commotion would just ruin any chance he had left.

"Yer gonna stay in the car, nice and quiet, yeah?" He pulled up, setting it in park, smartly once more.

Setting the empty can aside, Ichigo nodded while letting out a soft breath. "Yeah." He glanced down at his hands then, twisting them and then moving them from side to side to occupy himself and be sure they still had feeling. Even though he'd been able to move them since this morning.

Renji nodded, wondering if it was wise to leave him out in the car once more. _Alone_.

He shrugged it off, opened the door once the engine had come to a stop and hopped out, locking the door behind him as he walked to the front office, feeling his heart start to pound a little harder. Every second that he had to talk to anyone other than Ichigo, he found himself feeling worried that it'd end up getting him caught.


	6. Chapter six

After a while of just sitting silently, staring out the window with a blank look, Ichigo was finally moved into the motel room. Sighing mentally, the orange head then moved to sit down on the bed, which seemed to be becoming the usual routine from here on in. Ichigo rested his elbows on his knees, raising his hands to rub his face while slumping his shoulders.

The redhead shut the door, locking it tight and then closing the blinds, peeking through and letting his eyes scan the surroundings. He certainly did feel more comfortable in seclusion. Renji wasn’t sure what he should do next, besides going right to sleep. It had been a long day, the only problem he felt right now was his need to release his bowels.

“Doesn’t seem like the employee here was smart either.” He was talking more for his own purposes, as a way of calming himself down.

_Obviously..._ crossed his mind while the young Kurosaki pressed his palms against his eyes lightly. After a moment he lifted his head to look up then glanced over to the wall. _Apparently everyone’s stupid here._

“That’s good.” Ichigo replied, turning his attention to Renji and then down to the floor as if suddenly interested. “...really though...you should consider getting a disguise of sorts.”

He sighed in reply, turning from the window to face his captive and then tossing the bag, which he’d been holding in his other hand, onto the bed. “I have a question that’s been on my mind for a bit.”

“Knock yourself out.”

Renji walked past Ichigo and to the bathroom opening the door, inspecting it, and then leaving it open as he dropped his pants and underwear to take a wiz. “Why’re you trying to help this kidnapper criminal avoid the police?” 

Keeping his eyes forth, Ichigo blinked, lowering his hands to have them lay between his parted legs. “As I said yesterday, ‘I don’t think you’re a bad person.’ That and you said you needed to get there, so I suppose I just wanted to make it somewhat easier.” He looked over his shoulder, looking down on the sheets though. “Your picture’s all over the media too, remember?”

He contemplated what Ichigo said leaning back against the toilet's back, cocking his head back. “‘not a bad person’.” Renji repeated, thinking about what the whole trip was about. If Ichigo knew the truth about what he was going to do, would he really say that he wasn’t a bad person? He was also painfully aware that Ichigo didn’t call him a “good person,” simply just not a bad one. “Yea...I remember."

Licking his lips for a moment and then whipping himself clean, he flushed the toilet, replaced his pants and then walked out of the bathroom.

“It’s not like I can just go into a store and get clothes or make-up for all this.” He gestured to his whole body. “An’ sorry, I’m not so good a guy that I’m gonna let you simply walk into the store without something making sure ya don’t go to the cops. Just ‘cause ya don’t think I’m gonna rape ya or beat ya or somethin’... doesn’t mean ya should lend me a hand anyway. Don’t try to get into the criminal’s head or help ‘im. Ya might find yerself in jail if ya do.”

A soft chuckle came from the college student, his shoulders shaking at the action. “Too late for that one. And it’ll be easy to sneak you in.”

Renji walked back over to the bed and sat on it, facing the wall and then leaning back until his spine rested against the sheets. He closed his eyes, feeling tiredness taking over. “Are ya just gonna go along with whatever I say or do ya really mean to change yer life by helpin’ me?”

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck, cocking his head to the side. “Didn’t my life already get changed?”

“This is the detour. Not the main road.” Renji opened his eyes shifting his head to look at the back of the kid’s head. He wondered what was going through it, what would compel him to help him do such an evil thing. “After this is all over, I’ll be in jail again and ya will be just where ya wanna be. In that fancy college. If ya help me....ya might be in jail with me. Pretty ass like yers, ya won’t stand a chance.”

This was the point where Ichigo actually looked at Renji, glaring at the man as if he’d insulted him on a whole new level. Poked him in a spot that shouldn’t be poked. “You jumped me when I was half-asleep, remember?” he pointed out, a deep frown etched into his features. “I can handle myself pretty well. Second: that ‘pretty ass’ comment is just creepy. Don’t say it again.”

The convict let out a chuckle, sitting up and then placing a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder, watching the other’s reaction. It sure was a lot of fun riling up Ichigo. “Alright, I guess ya know I’d probably protect it anyway.” As a joke, he pinched Ichigo’s butt and then stood, letting out another chuckle as he walked to the duffel bag and then rummaged around in it.

A little peeping sound escaped the hostage before he turned his attention to the duffel bag, pulling his legs up and crossing them while continuing to rest his elbows on his knees.

“Ya better take a shower now, ‘cause ya sure as Hell ain’t gettin’ one tomorrow when we leave in the mornin’.” Renji pushed through the bag’s contents and wondered where he put his pocket knife, but then just assumed that he’d save the rope and untie Ichigo this time. “Ya can have yer privacy, but keep the door cracked, just like ‘fore.”

Holding his wrists out for the other to let them be free, Ichigo nodded at the reminder. Though he had a question that had been bugging him since last night’s argument over privacy. “Do you just not care? About...y’know...” He gestured to the bathroom with his chin. “...or were you simply ‘conditioned’ to not care anymore?”

Renji let out another amused chuckle. “Once yer forced to piss, shower, and pretty much everythin’ else in front of other guys...I guess ya just don’t.” He shrugged, walking over and kneeling down in front of Ichigo and then grabbing his two arms with one hand to steady them and then began to untie the knot with his other.

Ichigo stared down at his wrists, biting the inside of his cheek when he realized he just might till have the red marks adorning his skin. With or without his long-sleeved shirt. “...guess not.”

“Prison sure is shitty compared to out ‘ere. If I wasn’t on the run, I’d probably make a point to enjoy some stuff.” He shrugged.

A nervous smile crossed the student’s features, bunching his shoulders up. “I should probably stop asking, huh?”

He blinked, slowly removing the final piece of rope and tossing it in the bag before looking at Ichigo, soon standing up. “I don’t mind, I guess. It’s not that big of a deal. Better than sitting alone, I suppose.” Renji shrugged, walking over to the bed and sitting down once more, averting his eyes to the window blinds to look for a shadow or a sign. 

The captive kept his eyes on the other before scooting over to the duffel to dig out his hygiene and some clothes. ‘Plain Jane’. Just a white shirt and blue jeans. Pushing to stand, he made his way into the bathroom and shut the door to exactly where Renji had it yesterday.

After that, he went about his business.  
\-----  
Ichigo came out when Renji was staring at the television once more.

His expression was serious as he contemplated his next action. Renji’s picture was on the news again, now saying that he was something of a murderer and that he was a public menace and that if anyone had any information, they should call in right away. He just hoped that no one nearby noticed him. 

Renji blinked, coming back into reality and seeing Ichigo standing at the bathroom door and cleaning his ears with the towel. “Ya done then?”

Lowering the towel, the law student glanced over to the television, staring at the screen with a blank stare. _Odd...they’re calling him a murderer and acting like he’s public enemy number one..._ Ichigo gripped the edges of the towel and tugged slightly while keeping his eyes on the news as it swapped over to what the weather would be tomorrow. _...but he doesn’t act like it._

Slowly he turned his attention to the redhead, blinking, cocking his head in a way that showed he must have missed what the other said while letting his mind wander. “...sorry, I...didn’t really...”

The criminal shrugged it off, beckoning for him to come over. “I ain’t gonna shower tonight, so I don’t have to gag ya or anything. I’m tired, so...come ‘ere.” He picked up the rope from the floor and then gestured to the bag with his head. “If ya don’t want to get rope burn, ya can always put on the gloves I found at the last motel we stopped at.”

Ichigo pulled the towel over his head and tossed it aside onto a chair that was sitting idly by before the orange head moved to the bag and rummaged through it. Finding the gloves, he plopped his rump onto the bed and tugged them on, glancing over to the redhead as he pulled the second one on.

“...are you _sure_ you don’t want to cover those tattoos up?” he prodded, raising a brow.

“It ain’t that I don’t wanna. Hell, whatever makes it easier for me to get from point A to point B, but it’s just too risky. If I wanted to stay outta trouble after I did what I plan, then I don’t mind trying to avoid people with it.” Renji pulled the rope closer as he sat up holding his hand out for Ichigo’s.

With a shrug, Ichigo then held out his hands, no resistance whatsoever. Like the day before that and even the first day. “I guess that makes sense.”

Renji promised himself that he’d at least try to think of an idea to make Ichigo’s work, but he didn’t put much hope in it. He took Ichigo’s hands, binding them so that they were over the gloves, cushioning the bind. “Better?” His eyes raised for a moment, looking into Ichigo’s before continuing.

“Yeah.” Ichigo offered a nod to accompany the response before looking over at the television that was still on. Something about a kidnapping in Fresno. Though nothing bringing up him or Renji being in that area.

_Huh...the attendant was an idiot after all..._

His captive was listening too, thought not really letting it show on his face. “Oi, ya think they noticed ya disappeared yet?” He didn’t want to discourage Ichigo, but trying to gauge how much longer he had until the heat really started to get on him.

The younger male turned his attention back to Renji, brows furrowing from thought as he closed his eyes and lowered his head. “...I usually go where I put in the note for three days max.” he pointed out, shrugging. “But I think my brother’s going to be a little suspicious that I ‘went’ alone.”

_I guess I can’t put much stock in that...they’re gonna start looking for him soon._

He was finishing the knot, his expression turned serious. Renji didn’t even let go of the other’s arms as he turned to look at the television. “Well...hopefully they’re not too smart either...for my sake.” 

The grip that remained on his wrists had Ichigo look up with a confused look once he opened his eyes. “...Renji...?”

Soon realizing that he was still holding onto Ichigo’s arms, he let go, pointing at the headboard. “Above yer head.”

Once his arms were somewhat free, the orange haired student moved over to the headboard and sat there, reaching his hands back over his head.

Renji took another length of rope and bound the small loop he’d left on the back of Ichigo’s hands to the headboard, keeping him there. “It sure is odd that they’d discover a kidnapping in Fresno, but not yours...”

“Little children being kidnapped is what catches attention the most because their parents will throw shit-fits.” Ichigo let out a heavy exhale. “Unless the one being kidnapped is famous or a hot-shot’s kid, then no...they wouldn’t give a shit about people like me unless someone complained enough or called the cops and demanded they find them.”

He finished, pulling back and lying against the headboard as he had before, arms cushioning between his head and the actual wood. “Huh...didn’t know that...it’s hard to tell who does what in prison so I don’t actually get to learn much ‘bout that stuff.”

With a shrug Ichigo slid down to lay on his back, twisting about so his back faced the redhead. “Yeah...well...it’s not that surprising, to be honest.”

The criminal silently agreed, keeping his eyes on the television. “What’ve ya got waiting for ya?” Renji didn’t quite understand the word subtle, but he was curious as to what it was like to have a family. A _real_ family.

“Probably just my brother. And my girlfriend.” He rested his cheek against his arm, bangs shifting to cover his face. “I moved out of the family home when I got the acceptance letter to Stanford.”

“What’re they like?” The redhead gazed at the back of Ichigo’s head now, curiosity burning in his eyes. “Yer family and girl.”

“My family’s a mixed-up crazy bunch. Our personalities clash but we get along well.” Closing his eyes, Ichigo shifted his face. “As to my girlfriend...she’s tough. Tough and yet she’s kind in her own odd way. She and I knew each other since elementary school, I guess it was meant to be. Or something like that.”

He then breathed out slowly.

“What about you? Don’t you have someone you fancy?”

Renji had just been listening to Ichigo speak, not really thinking that the conversation would require his own input. “Ah, nah. I don’t think ‘bout romantic stuff or anythin’. Don’t even know what I’d go for if I was interested.” He averted his eyes once more, sticking them onto the ceiling as he drowned out the television with thought. 

Ichigo flexed his fingers, furrowing his brows as he listened to the convict speak.

“‘sides, it’s not like I had anyone when I was a kid and then I get shoved into a jail with horrible choices...” He chuckled. 

“......did you? You could have turned that around.”

This had him pause, confused. “What?”

“You were just a kid, Renji. They make mistakes.” He turned over to face the criminal, brown eyes set on the man’s face. “You could have been ‘free as a bird’ if you’d taken those mistake’s lessons to heart and changed the ‘troublemaker’ into someone else.”

Ichigo’s words had him pause once more, this time with more solemn of an expression. “It’s not like I went around beatin’ the shite out of people in jail. They told me that I couldn’t get out ‘cause I killed two people. I ain’t no college kid, so I dunno if I ever had a chance of gettin’ outta there.” He waved his hand, as if brushing it aside. “Not like I can do anythin’ ‘bout it now. I escaped an’ I’ll get even more years on top of a life sentence.”

“Here’s my question then: did they find your fingerprints on the murder weapon?”

He frowned. “I dunno. They didn’t tell me that stuff.”

Ichigo closed his eyes with a huff, as if outraged that no one spoke to Renji about these things. “...then you were falsely accused then placed under arrest...” He rested the left side of his face against his arm. “They need fingerprints, a motive, see if you had or didn’t have an alibi, if you were working with someone or they were working for you - I don’t know what’s worse: being a _real_ murderer or accused under false pretenses.”

Renji’s scowl thickened as he now stared at the back of Ichigo’s head with confusion. “Ya talk as if ya don’t think I did it. Weird, ‘cause everyone thought I was the killer right off ‘cause I was in the house an’ all.”

“You would have killed me already. ‘No witnesses.’” was the simple response.

“Maybe I still plan to.” Renji was trying to figure out what was going on in Ichigo’s mind. The television had only said one murder, but he just said that he’d been charged with two. Not to mention that he was still keeping Ichigo tied up like a dog and dragging him around just waiting to use him as protection. 

_What is with him? Everyone else just saw what happened and pointed the finger at me. Just ‘cause I didn’t kill him right off the bat, he thinks that he ain’t in danger?_

“‘Maybe.’ There’s the key word. ‘Maybe.’” Ichigo turned to lay on his side. “Don’t worry...your little ‘meat shield’ won’t hold it against you. Everyone else might. I won’t.” With that he closed his eyes, shifted a bit, settled, and breathed in and out slowly.

Perplexed by the mere idea that Ichigo wouldn’t hold any of that against him...it was a little daunting. 

“Ya might regret that later...” Renji let out a sigh, turning off the news and turning off all the lights as he stood one more time to check the window and see if there was anyone around. Once again, there was nothing for miles from what he could see. He returned to the bed, letting it take his weight before just lying there. 

He felt inclined to say ‘good night,’ but that was only because he hadn’t had a companion or a normal person beside him when he went off to sleep before. Renji swallowed it, looking at Ichigo’s face before closing his eyes and attempting to go to sleep.


End file.
